Magnetization dynamics plays an important role in the
information storage and manipulation industry. Despite their critical
importance, dynamic processes in magnetic systems lack a predictive
understanding. This lack is hindering the evolution of magnetic storage
allowing non-magnetic memory systems to encroach upon the market. To
enhance the development of magnetic memory technologies, we seek to uncover the
fundamental physical mechanisms that drive magnetization dynamics.

Conventional practice treats magnetization dynamics as damped rotations with a
fixed magnetization magnitude. The damping rate, which quantifies the
rate of exchange of energy and angular momentum between the magnetization and
the lattice, is the quantity of primary interest. This damping rate has
long been treated as a phenomenological parameter, discernible only through
measurement. However, we have recently identified the spin-orbit
interaction as the primary mechanism responsible for damping in bulk transition
metal systems and have demonstrated the ability to accurately calculate damping
rates from first-principles.

Recent experiments have probed a realm of magnetization dynamics in which the
magnetization no longer evolves with constant magnitude. These
observations have been most dramatic for revealing previously unknown dynamics
on femtosecond timescales. Understanding and controlling dynamics on
these timescales open the possibility of increasing the speed at which
information is manipulated by orders of magnitude. We will present our
research plan for performing first-principles investigations into this new and
exciting field.